Cat problem, I need a fix

[Papas Chickens]

It costs $20 a cat to take them to the shelter out here.

 

[Navi723]

I live in a strange area. We have nearly an acre in a agri zoned block in the center of a small residential suburb outside of Oklahoma City. The neighbors across the street can't have livestock, but I can. There are a lot of neighbors, and quite a few cats, but mostly we're left alone except for the friendly neighbor with the unfriendly semi-feral barn cats. All that to say, there are some restrictions on shooting firearms, and I may be able to take the cats to the local shelter for no charge. Frankly, I think it would be better to shoot them, considering they're semi-feral and won't be adoptable.

It sure would be nice if the neighbors would just keep their doggone cats in their house rather than in their barn. At least they had them fixed.

Electric fence might be feasible as soon as finances improve, if we don't move.

 

[MrsBrooke]

Get a .22 air rifle and some pellets. You can pick one up for a fairly reasonable price at Academy or similar sports recreation store. Even if they don't kill the cat (some of them are not powerful enough to do so), it will sting him so bad he will think twice before coming in your yard. They're reeeeally quiet, too.

Electric wire is also effective.

- MrsB

 

[CrazyTalk]

If we're only talking an acre, we're talking something like this:
Charger: $28
http://www.amazon.com/Fi-Shock-EAC1...&qid=1409954871&sr=8-1&keywords=fence+charger

2 Bags of standoffs: $11
http://www.amazon.com/Zareba-IWNY-Z...942&sr=8-1&keywords=electric+fence+insulators

A roll of Polywire; $30
http://www.amazon.com/Gallagher-G62...=UTF8&qid=1409954990&sr=8-1&keywords=polywire

So about $70 to get you up and running (with quite a bit of extra poly wire, and plenty of headroom on the charger)- and maybe cheaper if you go searching craigslist, although I'd be surprised. Definitely cheaper than a decent air rifle.

 

[LIChickens]

That can be a touch situation with the neighbors and "keeping the peace". If the cat's "disappear", they'll know it's you and resent it and possibly retaliate. We've had predator problems before- raccoons, possums, hawks, owls, foxes, even a bobcat. We had to completely refortify our pen- it's chainlink all the way around lined with chicken wire on the inside attached to the chainlink and buried down about a foot. The top is also covered with chicken wire and we have an interior perimeter of cinderblocks. So far, nothing has been able to get in- even the squirrels. Even with all of that- I'm not convinced that it's "predator proof".

We do let them free range in the back yard for a few hours a day when we're outside with them and they all go back inside to roost and we lock them up.

Several options to fix your cat problem:

1) put a hotwire around the chicken coop.
2) refortify the coop as best as you can
3) consider getting a Great Pyrenees dog- they're bred to guard and are great with chickens as they see their job is to watch over and protect them- if you do that, start with a puppy and train early. Once the dog knows his job is to guard the flock, he'll kill anything that tries to bother them.

When I was at his farm, Joel Salatin had what looked like an Anatolian Shepherd Dog guarding his farm

 

[WthrLady]

Oklahoma Statutes Annotated. Title 4. Animals. Chapter 3. Dogs and Cats. section 41 A and B

Cats and dogs can be killed going after your livestock.

Can't cut and paste from my phone.
google it, print it, and give to the neighbors claiming the cats

 

[WthrLady]

https://www.animallaw.info/statute/ok-dog-bite-oklahoma-dog-bite-laws#s41

 

[WthrLady]

And agree with the air rifle...

Sorry..finicky phone posting

 

[Navi723]

Just went out to shut up the pop hole, a little late because of soccer practice, and discovered a cat or cats had been inside the coop, ripping feathers out of my hens again. Seriously… it's making me very upset. The girls aren't laying at all now, feathers are everywhere, and I have a pack of semi-feral cats to contend with. We did shoot at one of them with an air rifle, and think we hit it, but it was too dark to be sure. Scared it if nothing else. I found five or six of them congregating out by the coop last night and chased them off.

Guess I'm going to have to stake the place out with a camera until I can get proof for my neighbor. Not that that will do any good, but I'm at a loss. And very unhappy.

 

[WthrLady]

Call animal control and tell them the problem you are running a chicken buffet and feathery play zone. The cats are torturing your chickens for sport!

Stray or owned, they aren't your's, they are on your property and harassing your livestock, which is not leagal there.

If the neighbor lays claim to them they are finacially responsible for any action you have to take to protect life and property.

Get the officials in on this. Create and save a paper trail. Take photos. And get rid odf the cats!